Bauer BBQ 2014
by Robansuefarm
Summary: Every year the biggest event of the year was the Bauer BBQ in Springfield on the soap opera "Guiding Light". This is what happened during that event during 2014. It's very focused on Manny, but this was my first attempt at visiting the Bauer BBQ. There will be more.
1. Chapter 1

p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"strongAuthor's Note:/strong I'm actually going to reserve my author's note for the end and you can all wonder why, like when Perry Mason does that with his opening statement. I will say though that this is a republish, it's set back in 2014 (hence the title) I'm not SORASing Manny's kids so that makes Robbie 13, Hope is 9, and Danielle (who I created in my emSpringfield Bound/em story would have been born in 2011 and so is now 3). This is the part where I also encourage all of you to share what's happening at your a style="color: #b85b5a;" href=" 2016/06/20/children-of-springfield-2016/"Bauer BBQ in fanfic./a/p  
h2 style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.6em; color: #333333; margin: 30px 0px 0px;"Bauer BBQ 2014 by Robansuefarm/h2  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""Hmmmm Danny," it had been years since Michelle had woken to any other thought. Before she even opened her eyes she felt her mouth turn into its instinctive smile and out of habit she reached for Danny on his side of the bed. She felt only cold, undisturbed sheets. She instantly sat up in bed and scanned the room for him before she remembered why he wasn't there. The smile disappeared even though she should have been happy, it was after all the day of the Bauer BBQ and she hadn't missed one since she returned to Springfield five years previously./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"As if on cue a shortie pjs clad Hope came springing into the room, hopping from one foot to other, literally too excited to stand still. She gave up and made a dive on to the bed and gave her mother a hug. "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy," she said bouncing up and down on the California king bed. "I love, love, LOVE today. It's going to be such a Extra Cool Bauer BBQ this year." Hope hugged herself with pleasure. "I can't wait for everybody to get here….Do you think Aunt Drew will bring me a present from New York? OH! Do you think I can wear it today!"/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Extra Cool was Hope's current phrase of the moment. "I'm sure today will be Extra Cool, honey. We'll just have to see if Aunt Drew brings you anything. In the meantime why don't you go run and brush your teeth and put on the outfit we picked out last night. I left your new red, white, and blue playsuit on the stool by your dresser."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""OK, Mommy!" Hope stopped bouncing long enough to reach over and give her mother a big, wet, smacky kiss on the cheek. Hope bounced off the bed, bounced out of the room, and danced down the hallway back to her room./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Michelle stood and gazed for a moment out of the window mentally and automatically running through her To Do list for the day, on days like this she missed the balcony in her own room, but Danny had hated balconies for security reasons, despite the fact that he had once used hers to very good purpose one day, he was always worried someone out to get them would use it. And she couldn't disagree that there were people from time to time out to get them still. Danny….. She had forgotten for a moment. Why didn't it ever get any easier to do something even if you knew it was right?/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Michelle gave herself a shake and turned back to make her bed. She had recently heard some advice that you should always make your bed each day. It made you feel put together and if something bad did happen at least you were returning to a made bed. She gave Danny's side of the bed an extra stroke smoothing it and then turned and quickly jumped in the shower and dressed. She'd already thrown what she'd need later into a bag and put her things in the car the night before. She went down the hall and stopped at Robbie's door./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Once Robbie would have been every bit as excited about the BBQ as Hope. She remembered him racing out of the rental car five years before, but at 13 Robbie was officially a teenager now. He was prone to sleep late and if last night had been any indication he would take his extra responsibilities today very solemnly. Michelle could hear the faint beeping of an alarm clock through the closed door. Her instinct was to push right in, but she paused and knocked. They were trying to be more respectful of Robbie's privacy now he was a teenager. No answer, so Michelle pushed in anyway. As soon as the door cracked open the noise increased exponentially (it was a very solidly built house). One of Robbie's birthday presents last March had been a Run Away Alarm clock to help counteract this new found tendency to sleep through a tornado, but so far it hadn't been a rousing success. The clock continued to run around the floor blaring and Robbie had merely covered his head with his pillow and ignored it./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"a style="color: #b85b5a;" href=" /images/I/711cUe0F9iL._SL1500_.jpg" /images/I/711cUe0F9iL._SL1500_.jpg/a/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Feeling nostalgic, Michelle shook Robbie. "Wake up, Tiger!"/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""Aw, Mom do I have to?"/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""It's Bauer BBQ today."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"The reminder brought Robbie sitting upright with a jolt. "Guess I do."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""Run grab a shower." Michelle gave her son a loving pat as he hurried by her./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Next Michelle turned back up the hall to go into Danielle's room. It was a beautiful room fit for her parents's little princess. The twin canopy bed was still a new sight having taken the place of the crib. Michelle walked quietly over and kissed her daughter on the forehead, as Maureen used to do to her and Danielle's eyes popped open. "Mommy!" she said. Michelle made short work of dressing her youngest child, the one who was the most the mix of them both and her heart gave a flutter. Her eyes automatically flew to the window where they could at long last see the hills that surrounded Laurel falls and to the sky above. Where was Danny right now?/p 


	2. Bauer BBQ 2014 by Robansuefarm Chapter 2

It was a short drive over to the Bauer House on Skyline Drive and still early. Michelle pulled up into the parking area between the house and the garage apartment and said briskly, "OK everybody out!" Robbie grabbed a package out of the back and took off to carry it into his old room. Michelle let Hope dance ahead, and took on her first load with Dani riding her hip and the diaper bag draped over her shoulder messenger bag style. Michelle had pushed the button to make the back of the Cherokee close, but before it could close all the way, suddenly Bill caught it and sent it up again.

"Woah there Bauer, looks like you still have a lot to carry in, why don't you load me up?"

"Well, Lewis, you always do best as a beast of burden.

"Hardy, har, har. That's nice talk to someone who got up early to help you on his day off with his wife and infant son," gesturing behind him as Lizzie came bearing down on them a four year old Little Billy IV pulling her along.

"I'd hardly call Little Billy an infant any more, next thing you know he'll be breaking hearts just like his Daddy and 'borrowing' the car without asking."

"You first, Bauer. Robbie's 18 by now isn't he?"

"He's 13 as you very well know. You were at his birthday party."

"AND if Little Billy's breaking a heart it will probably be with that little girl of yours."

Little Billy ran up and began yanking on Dani trying to get her down. "We want to play, Michelle. Dani down!"

Billy quirked her a smile, and said "Yeah, Michelle we want to play."

"OK, OK I know when I'm out numbered."

She put Dani down and Little Billy grabbed her hand and they took off, a short haired blond and light brown ringlets bouncing away across the parking area and into the kitchen door of the Bauer House.

Lizzie had been about a step behind her son and she threw Michelle a quick "Happy Fourth of July" and kissed the corner of Bill's mouth as she rushed by. "I'll keep an eye on them."

"Here you go. Let's really load you down and we'll get all this stuff in the house. I already brought a load over last night. I'll have to pull the apple pies out of the freezer and rewarm them in the oven, but I think we can get most of this in one load."

Bill readjusted the load in his arms, "I don't think anybody will mind Bert's recipe apple pies aren't fresh this year. Everybody knows you've had a lot going on, speaking of which do you want me to grab that?" Bill gestured with his head toward the last two bags in the rear of the Cherokee.

"No, I"m making a special trip with those, keep your dirty mitts off them….It was really nice of you guys to come early to help with set up, you did last year, too."

"Well, you've showed up with the whole family early every Thanksgiving since Lizzie and I started our new family tradition, it's give and take, help when you can. That's just the Springfield way."

"Here's some help then, see if you manage to remember your anniversary without Lizzie having to prompt you this year, it's just 10 days after the BBQ."

Bill, a little put out, "Of course I'll remember my anniversary."

"You put the wrong date on your wedding invitations."

Bill groaned. "Won't you and Santos, ever let me forget THAT?"

Michelle paused to think for a moment, before shoulder bumping her friend and walking into the house with him. "Nope, I don't think, we…at least I…will."


	3. Chapter 3

p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"strongAuthor's Note:/strong I would like to apologize. This is probably the part that most people are interested in where we see other people at the BBQ, but it's just going to be a quick peek this year. Don't assume if I don't mention them your favorite isn't attending, but I was running embarrassingly late on this so I moved along quickly to finish up my plot. I'll try to include more people in my next Bauer BBQ story./p  
h2 style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.6em; color: #333333; margin: 30px 0px 0px;"Bauer BBQ 2014 by Robansuefarm Chapter 3/h2  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Michelle and Bill brought in the rest of the stuff with Hope opening the door and holding it for them. They deposited what they brought in on the kitchen table./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Hope followed them, "Uncle Bill, isn't Sarah with you? She promised to be my partner in the three-legged race today."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Robbie coming down stairs having deposited his package in his room, froze to listen, but no one else noticed./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Bill paused long enough to deposit Michelle's stuff on the table and to swoop up Hope into his arms. "Sarah is with her daddy today, she'll be along later, don't worry, Squirt."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""OK, Uncle Bill." Completely reassured Hope danced off and Robbie came on down the stairs with a slight smile on his face./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Michelle put her load next to Bill's as Rick came into the room. He was wearing a new apron this year that said "Bauer Power" and carrying the traditional chef's hat as Leah hadn't yet arrived to do the annual ceremonial crowning. "OK troops! I expect 100% devotion today. This is the 5th a id="PXLINK_2_0_2" class="pxInta" style="color: #b85b5a; text-decoration-line: underline !important; border-top: 0px !important; border-right: 0px !important; border-left: 0px !important; border-image: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; border-bottom-color: #1c7dff !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; display: inline !important; font-size: inherit !important;" href=" 2016/07/07/bauer-bbq-2014-by-robansuefarm-chapter-3-3/#"anniversary/a of the best little sister in the world a id="PXLINK_1_0_1" class="pxInta" style="color: #b85b5a; text-decoration-line: underline !important; border-top: 0px !important; border-right: 0px !important; border-left: 0px !important; border-image: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; border-bottom-color: #1c7dff !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; display: inline !important; font-size: inherit !important;" href=" 2016/07/07/bauer-bbq-2014-by-robansuefarm-chapter-3-3/#"moving/a back to town." Rick paused to smack a noisy kiss on the top of Michelle's head, "and we are going to celebrate."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Rick paused to look around the kitchen as Blake came in the door and they all welcomed her, except for Rick who barked, "Blake, where is the potato salad? You did make it from Bert's recipe didn't you?"/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""Still in the car. You can carry it in yourself after you assigned me to making it. And of course I used Bert's recipe. What else?"/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""No dissension in the ranks, we have to pull together people. A horde of people is going to be hitting that door today and we have to be ready!…Michelle, did you bring the ketchup?"/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""I brought that all over last night, along with the rest of the condiments and I got the plain kind of ketchup Dad always liked."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Phillip and Beth came in. Phillip carried a large Thermos jug and Beth pulling a cooler on wheels./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Rick made another check on his list. "Very good the lemonade and bottles of water. Bill just don't stand there – start on the iced tea, you know where everything is."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Frank came in pulling an oversized catering cooler. "Hot dogs and chicken breasts check! I'll put the cooler by the grill and then go get the second cooler with the hamburger so you can start shaping the burgers."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""Check, check, check!" Rick said. Really wishing Leah would get here so they could put on his hat. He always thought he looked more the commander of the BBQ once it was on, but he wouldn't cheat. This was his and Leah's special moment of the day and he won't deprive them both of that./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""Coleslaw?" Rick asked Michelle./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""Ready and waiting in the refrigerator and so is the three-bean salad and the baked beans. The watermelon is on ice to cut later. I brought all that over last night and here are the relish trays I made last night." She gestured to the pile Bill had carried in and abandoned on the kitchen table. "They just need the cling film pulled off and set out."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""What about Bert's apple pies?" he asked Michelle anxiously. "With everything else going on did you have time…."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""They are in the freezer. I'll go pull them out now so they can thaw and we'll rewarm them in the oven before we serve them."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""Great!" Rick double checked his list for the fourth time. "When Buzz gets here with the last few things we should be ready to go."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""Good," Mindy said as she brought in a bag of ice and thunked it down on the counter. "Then you can help me bring in the last minute supplies and we can get this party going. AND next year I don't care if it's traditional or not, we're having Oklahoma BBQ beside the Bauer Burgers and there are some buffalo brauts in the freezer you can just throw on the grill too."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"*****/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"It had become a tradition for Bill and Lizzie to oversee the games. Zach and Jude now settled back into Springfield life had helped for the last couple of years and with HB IV having so much energy Lizzie certainly appreciated the help. Dani, Little Billy, and Frankie were all about the same age and ran around, chasing each other in between the more formal games. They set everything up, made sure the equipment was out from everything from the horseshoe toss to the badminton net. The traditional contests and races were the ones that people waited for though. The three legged race was a big hit with Phillip and James winning this year, although Mel and Leah weren't far behind. Hope Santos and Sarah Randall came in first in the under 12 division. Meanwhile Henry and Peyton were tearing around trying to get into everything at once./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Next on the agenda was the egg toss. Someone who didn't know what was going on would have been surprised to notice that the crowd was shrinking. The time was getting closer to zero hour and people were needed elsewhere. You could almost hear a clock ticking like Abby once did in a church before Ray's first service. In spite of that the egg toss was a lot of fun with Billy and Vanessa Lewis taking the honors. Emma Spencer and Natalia Aitoro came in second. Maureen Reardon and Clarissa Marler broke up their championship team from last year in order that Clarissa could team with her boyfriend Adam and Maureen could team with Clarissa's brother Kevin that Maureen hoped would soon be her boyfriend too, although it took some fast talking from Clarissa to get him to agree to it. Another tradition was kept when Lillian and Buzz showed up brushing off their clothes coming out of the woods right in the middle of the awarding of prizes./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"*****/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Michelle was distracted all day, thinking about what was to come, so she saw very little of this. She didn't really pay attention to what anyone said to her. Only watching her kids to keep them safe, she found herself getting a little teary eyed. Having taken the last special package up to her old room earlier, she now went back in the Bauer House. She smiled as she ran her hand over the counter remembering their "celebration" there one night. Sent a scowl over to the chair in the corner where he had bled so much the night he was shot. Then she glanced back to the door and remembered Aunt Meta coming in to his welcome home party when Danny was released from the a id="PXLINK_0_0_0" class="pxInta" style="color: #b85b5a; text-decoration-line: underline !important; border-top: 0px !important; border-right: 0px !important; border-left: 0px !important; border-image: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; border-bottom-color: #1c7dff !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; display: inline !important; font-size: inherit !important;" href=" 2016/07/07/bauer-bbq-2014-by-robansuefarm-chapter-3-3/#"hospital/a following his recovery from the coma. She passed on to the short hallway that led up the backstairs and remembered running down them laughing with Danny when they came back from their second honeymoon, where unknown to them at the time they had conceived Robbie. She walked on up the stairs, ready now to open that special package. She placed it on her bed and unzipped it. She continued to stare at it when suddenly there was a knock on her door./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""Hey, look who's here from New York!" Drew came into the room, "I've come to help you get ready."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"*****/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"The games began to close down early, everything was a little rushed this year because of what was going to happen before the fireworks started. Finally Rick appeared having ditched the hat and Bauer Power apron and invited everyone over next door to the Spaulding backyard./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"emstrongRobansuefarm/strong is the handle of one of Manny and /emGuiding Lightem's biggest fans following in her family's footsteps of /emGuiding Lightem fandom since 1939. This blog is an effort to make it easy to find /emGuiding Lightem and especially Manny online. Check back here for her blog, find fanfic previews and fake WSPR newscasts on her a style="color: #b85b5a;" href=" user/Robansuefarm"YouTube/a, find podcasts that look back to old shows and audios of her fanfics on a style="color: #b85b5a;" href=" robansuefarm/2011/02/27/a-typical-house"Blog Talk Radio/a, and finally follow her on a style="color: #b85b5a;" href=" /Robansuefarm"Twitter/a and a style="color: #b85b5a;" href=" GLManny"Facebook/a./em/p  
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	4. Chapter 4

p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"strongAUTHOR'S NOTE:/strong In the last chapter, I hope you had a great time at Bauer BBQ 2014 and enjoyed seeing everyone. It took me WAY past the end of July to finish this fanfic which just tells you it's time to get started on yours for next year NOW! Tell me what YOU think Bauer BBQ 2017 will be like and share. I also should mention I have a thing about people not doing the bridal march properly. If anything looks ungainly it's just stomping down the aisle like you were walking anywhere else, so I spell out the proper steps./p  
h2 style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.6em; color: #333333; margin: 30px 0px 0px;"Bauer BBQ 2014 by Robansuefarm Chapter 4/h2  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"The crowd slowly shifted from the Bauer patio through the hedge to the Spaulding backyard. Rick led the way over the flat part of the lawn. It had rented white folding chairs set up in two groups with a white carpet runner up the middle between the two groups. The chairs were all faced in one direction facing the white wood trellis covered with red roses. A small string ensemble softly began playing background music. The guests gradually settled down and even the whispers trailed off as the music picked up in volume and intensity. A side door opened in the Spaulding Mansion and a group of men emerged. Most of them were wearing tuxedos. Ray lead the group wearing his clerical robes. Behind him came Frank Cooper, Phillip Spaulding, Rick Bauer, and Robbie Santos. They filed past slowly taking their places in a line in front of the arbor. Again the music hit a chord and the French doors opened again and this time Danny Santos came walking out to take his place beside his son and best man, Robbie. He just couldn't quit smiling. He grinned back down at his son who was bursting with pride at his special role as best man. Danny resisted rumpling his hair because Robbie was trying so hard to act grown up. He looked up over Robbie's head at his friends. Rick who he now considered his brother and he was happy to say the affection and connection was now returned. Beyond him was Phillip Spaulding. There had always been a sort of respect and connection between the two men and Phillip and Danny's relationship had grown over the years. After they had returned to town and Danny accepted the job at Spaulding Enterprises they had grown quite close. He and Michelle had been included in the Four Musketeers social sphere since their return and while he once never would have believed it, he felt part of that group. The last one of his groomsmen was Frank Cooper, who had long been one of his best friends, Danny did turn away and suddenly grimaced at the thought of how lost he'd gotten during Michelle's amnesia. How could he have betrayed his good friend like that? Reaching out to Frank's daughter in his desperate search for normalcy, he wouldn't have blamed Frank if he'd never forgiven him and he thanked God that he had./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Danny was distracted by the flash of color when Michelle's cousin Bridget moved from her position at the table with the reception book to her seat beside her husband, Dylan Lewis. Danny's eyes locked on the far side of white carpet runner. He heard his daughter giggling behind the hedge. The string quartet struck up playing "Too Busy Being in Love" and Chelsea Reardon, Michelle's aunt, began to sing./p  
div id="lyrics-body-text" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"  
p class="verse" style="font-size: 1.05em;"em If I had taken the time/embr /emTo write down a few lines/embr /emEvery time that you crossed this heart of mine/embr /emPut them all in a book/embr /emHow much time would that have took/em?br /emBut words and years have a way of slipping by/em/p  
p class="verse" style="font-size: 1.05em;"emOh no, too bad/embr /emThere goes the chance that I had br /em/p  
p class="verse" style="font-size: 1.05em;"emI could have written a play so sweet and so funny/embr /emGiven old Mr. Shakespeare, a run for his money/embr /emWritten the words to the prettiest tune/embr /emThat would never leave a dry eye in the room/embr /emMy only excuse for not doing enough/embr /emWell, I was too busy, being in love/embr /emYes, I was too busy, being in love/em/p  
p class="verse" style="font-size: 1.05em;"em Brand new phrases appear/embr /emEvery time you are near/embr /emAll these words you inspire after all these years/embr /emBut I never reached for a pen/embr /emBreak the mood that I'm in/embr /emBefore I knew it, the words were gone again/em/p  
p class="verse" style="font-size: 1.05em;"emOh no, too bad/embr /emThere goes the chance that I had br /em/p  
p class="verse" style="font-size: 1.05em;"emI could have written a play so sweet and so funny/embr /emGiven old Mr. Shakespeare a run for his money/embr /emWritten the words to the prettiest tune/embr /emThat would never leave a dry eye in the room/embr /emMy only excuse for not doing enough/embr /emWell, I was too busy, being in love/embr /emYes, I was too busy, being in love/em/p  
p class="verse" style="font-size: 1.05em;"em I could have written the poem to make young lovers crazy/embr /emI could have written a movie for Hepburn and Tracey/embr /emThe most beautiful song and it starts with your name/embr /emWritten my way into fortune and fame/embr /emBut I have no regrets for not doing it now/embr /emWell, I was too busy, being in love/embr /emYes, I was too busy, being in love /em/p  
/div  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"As the words to the song ended and began again the second time through as an instrumental, Hope appeared and took her time centering herself on the white carpet. She paused and giggled again, Danny wasn't sure if it was because she was so happy or because his little drama queen wanted to make sure that all attention on her before she started down the aisle. She took a breath, grinned, and started down the aisle taking loooong steps in the proper bridal march; right step, together, left step, together, right step….. As she went she sprinkled pink rose petals along the aisle in her fluffy, light pink dress. She arrived at the end of the aisle and stepped over to the far side next to the groomsmen./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Next down the aisle, dressed in a matching dress only in a dusky rose, came Beth. Step right, together, left step, together, right step… Beth also carried a short, dark haired beauty, the latest pride of their love, Danielle. Danielle was the other flower girl, but had proven very definitely at the rehearsal that she couldn't be trusted walking down the aisle either alone or with her big sister. Beth was about halfway down the aisle when the next lady in pink appeared around the hedge, it was Drew, Michelle's a id="PXLINK_0_0_0" class="pxInta" style="color: #b85b5a; text-decoration-line: underline !important; border-top: 0px !important; border-right: 0px !important; border-left: 0px !important; border-image: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; border-bottom-color: #1c7dff !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; display: inline !important; font-size: inherit !important;" href=" 2016/07/08/bauer-bbq-2014-by-robansuefarm-chapter-4-3/#"maid/a of honor from their church wedding at Casa Santos. They hadn't really been close before that, but they had grown close over the next few years and had kept in touch even after she moved to New York and they had moved to California. Drew was beaming and had a calm, contentment she had never shown before having finally made peace with her marriage, the lies and hurts of her childhood, and made her faith a strong tenant in her life. Beth had reached the altar and moved to her place at the far end. When Drew hit the middle point of the aisle, the final bridesmaid, Michelle's step-sister Blake took her turn to walk down the aisle. When Blake hit the assigned point, Mindy, Michelle's sister-in-law and matron of honor, started down the aisle in her matching dress. Mindy followed down the aisle and moved into her matron of honor position and put Dani down and held her hand. Dani showed that she could be just as much a center of attention as her big sister as she wore her matching light pink dress. She smiled at the audience did her best expression that she always used on her daddy when she wanted him to give her something and then she stuck her hand down and grabbed the hem of her skirt and yanked it up revealing her special lace lollies as the audience broke into general laughter. Accepting she'd had her due, Dani dropped her hand and fastened her eyes on where she remembered her mommy reappearing last night at the rehearsal./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"The music changed and began the bridal march and just like that Michelle stepped onto the end of the white runner. The fluffy white dress focused on its sweetheart neckline and made a shawl collar and a flowing skirt that ended mid-calf. A narrow pink sash of pink encircled Michelle's waist and tied behind. Around her neck was a gold chain, three charms hung from it, a locket with Maureen's photo inside, a third grade spelling bee winning charm, and a charm shaped like the house they had finally built at Laurel Falls. Michelle's hair had been twisted into an updo and was covered by a Mantea. It was the one from their Church wedding and while their feelings of that event were twisted by his family's involvement, the service had still meant a lot to both of them. After all, it was that ceremony that kept that bound to each other through all eternity in the eyes of the Church. During the annulment separation, it had been the one piece of clothing of Michelle's that Danny had kept. They felt it was an important tie to a part of their past./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"It had been hard on Danny and Michelle both to spend the night before the wedding apart, they had always hated to spend a night apart, even before their fake marriage had turned real. It was worse than ever now when they were used to cuddling and ….. more…. every night in their California king size bed. Their eyes met across the garden and then Michelle's face broke like the sun in their secret smile. Bill Lewis stepped up beside her and she came down the aisle on his arm./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Michelle and Danny were so focused on each other that everyone else faded into the background. Danny took Michelle by the hand and they kneeled beside each other facing Ray in his role as their priest. They vaguely heard Ray say, "Who gives this woman in marriage?" and Bill answer, "On behalf of her parents and myself, I do." They both missed it, but Bill winked at them as he said the myself part./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Ray started. "We are here today to celebrate the renewed marriage of Daniel Santos and Berta Michelle Bauer Santos." He bestowed on the crowd a welcoming smile. "Michelle and Danny have had a little trouble getting this right." Another smile, met with a chuckle from the audience. "This is the seventh time they have come together before God and dedicated their lives, their hearts, and their sacred honor to each other. While they separated on several occasions, they have always honored their vows. During their original pre-cana, Danny and Michelle discovered just how closely their desires were for the same type of marriage, the same type of life and while they faced many challenges they have created that life for themselves and their children."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"As one Michelle and Danny turned to look at their children in turn, to Robbie who was standing beside his father as his best man, to Hope and then Dani who were serving as flower girls. Their children beamed back at them./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""Danny and Michelle have written their own vows."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Michelle handed Mindy her bouquet. They stood and faced each other./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Danny cleared his throat. "Michelle, I know we took the scenic route to get where we are." More laughter from the audience and he waited until it ebbed before he continued, "We both had a lot to learn to get this far. This is OUR life, OUR family, and we need to be willing to fight for it to be what we want. I mean you look innocent and beautiful and soft and pink, but underneath you're like steel. I always knew you had that in you. It's one of the reasons I fell in love with you. You never really gave up on me deep down and so you never really let me give up on myself, not quite all the way and we made it, baby. I look around now and I can't believe what we've built together. I knew I was lying to you that day by the park bench when I told you I could never be happy in your life, but I had no idea just how wonderful it could be. Thank you, my beautiful wife for all eternity."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Michelle replied, "Danny, a few years ago, I was talking to Marah and when I got home I wrote what I said down and kept it because it was so right. I've taken it out to read while times were difficult and I want to share it with you now." Michelle unfolded and smoothed the faded and crinkled piece of paper. She looked up at Danny as her hand slightly shook. She smiled, "Remember I dropped my vows on our first wedding day. I'll try to do better today…..Looking back I wouldn't do a thing differently because you are worth it. It's like we're on some kind of a journey. Sometimes you lose direction, sometimes it's me, but we're supposed to be traveling together. I know that in my bones, sometimes it's the only thing I do know, but I am sure, so wherever we end up together I know that's where I want to be. Thank you, my handsome husband for all eternity."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"They stood and Michelle turned to the audience, letting go of one of Danny's hands and turning him with her. "And I want to also thank all of you for being part of our special day. This is the third time we've recited vows on July 4th. Ray has been there for all three times." She paused turning to smile back at him before continuing. "The first time we said our vows on this day we skipped the Bauer BBQ to do it, but the other two times we've been here and that's better. The Bauer BBQ is very special for our family. The tradition of marking Independence Day as an important occasion dates back to my Great-Grandfather Papa Bauer. He and Mama Bauer were immigrants and truly appreciated the gift that was the United States. The party got a little bigger under my Grandma Bert whose apple pie recipe I always make for this day. Finally my parents, Ed and Maureen turned it into the celebration it is today. A celebration of family, friends, and the Springfield community. A place where everyone is welcome, old connections are refreshed, and where we celebrate the spirit of this country. A lot of you who knew me then questioned my choice when I wed Danny the first time, but you were wrong. It scared me so much I was afraid to admit, but the first time I looked into Danny's eyes I saw my soul, his soul, as one and that's what I still see. I also see so much love and that's a love we share with all of you. I recently read a quote that made me think about Grandma Bert's apple pies. Love is not a single pie (p-i-e), hand out your 8 slices and you're done. Love is pi (p-i), irrational and never ending. Thank you for being here to day to help celebrate our irrational, never ending love." Michelle turned back to Danny, re-clasped his hand and they shared their secret smile./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Danny whispered, "That's perfect, you're perfect."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Ray cleared his throat bringing attention back to him and said, "The ceremony of marriage in which you come to be united is one of the first and oldest ceremonies in the entire world, celebrated in the beginning in the presence of God himself. Marriage is a gift in that we give ourselves totally to one another. I believe that marriage is a gift given to comfort the sorrows of life and to magnify life's joys."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""Marriage is the clasping of hands, the blending of two hearts, the union of two lives into one, and your marriage must stand, not by the authority of the State, nor by the seal on your wedding certificate, but by the strength and power of the faith and love you have in one another."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""Repeat after me."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Danny grinned, "I think we've got this." He grinned at Michelle. She had handed her bouquet to Mindy and then clasped both of Danny's hands./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Danny looked deeply into her eyes and vowed,"I, Danny, take you Michelle, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Ray added, "Danny, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? Forsaking all others, be faithful only to her so long as you both shall live?"/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Danny had never looked happier when he said, "I do."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Looking just as serious, Michelle vowed in turn. "I, Michelle, take you Danny, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Ray responded, "Michelle, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? Forsaking all others, be faithful only to him so long as you both shall live?"/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Michelle replied, "I do."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Ray continued, "Having this kind of love in your hearts for one another, you have chosen to exchange rings as the sign and seal of the promises you are making to one another today. Rings are very large in their significance. They are made of a precious metal and precious stone, and that reminds us that love is not cheap or common; but indeed love is very costly and dear to us. These rings are also made in a circle and their design tells us that we must keep love continuous throughout our whole lives even as the circle of the ring is continuous. As you wear these rings, whether you are together or apart for even just a moment, may these rings be a constant reminder of the promises you are making to one another this day."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""Danny, will you please take this ring and place it upon the finger of Michelle's left hand, and holding her hand in yours, please repeat this promise to her saying after me: With this ring, I seal my promise, to be your faithful and loving husband, as God is my witness."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Danny repeated, "With this ring, I seal my promise, to be your faithful and loving husband, as God is my witness."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Ray looked at Michelle, "Michelle, will you please take this ring and place it upon the finger of Danny's left hand, and holding his hand in yours please repeat this promise to him saying after me: With this ring, I seal my promise, to be your faithful and loving wife, as God is my witness."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Michelle repeated, "With this ring, I seal my promise, to be your faithful and loving wife, as God is my witness."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""Michelle and Danny, you have come here today before us and before God and have expressed your desire to become husband and wife. You have shown your love and affection by joining hands, and have made promises of faith and devotion, each to the other, and have sealed these promises by the giving and the receiving of the rings. Therefore, it is my privilege as a minister and by the authority given to me by the State of Illinois, I now pronounce that you are husband and wife. Danny, you may kiss your the bride."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;""Ladies and gentlemen, it is my privilege to introduce to you once again Senor and Senora Santos."/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Michelle let out a little shriek as Danny suddenly swept her off her feet, with one arm under her knees and the other around her waist. He spun around to face the audience and as Michelle's arms automatically came around Danny's neck and he kissed her soundly./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"strongAuthor's Note:/strong I said at the beginning that I was withholding my initial author's note and now you can see why. Danny and Michelle were getting ready to renew their vows at the Bauer BBQ 2014. Danny spent the night at the Bauer House to honor the tradition of not seeing the bride before the wedding. Michelle I'm sure noted that got him out of working at the BBQ and Danny responded it meant he had to make sure everything for the wedding was ready. The special thing Robbie carried in first was his tuxedo. Michelle went in from the BBQ to get ready for the wedding. Michelle and Danny are FINALLY living in their Laurel Falls House because we've all agreed not to mention or think about Tattoo Tony ever, ever again so it isn't strange for them. The kids are going to spend the night at the Bauer House to watch the fireworks with Rick and Mindy, so Danny and Michelle can head out to the Springfield Inn to make some fireworks of their own. And I think then they will finally go to Majorca, but they'll take the kids./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"I put in dialogue from several key Manny scenes and referenced several others. I hope you enjoy it./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"That's what I think happened at Bauer BBQ 2014. If you want to imagine what will happen during Bauer BBQ 2017. Start writing now./p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"strongSources:/strong/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Pie Quote off Facebook/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Wedding Vows:br /a style="color: #b85b5a;" href=" . ministers/wedding-ceremony" . ministers/wedding-ceremony/a/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"Words to "Too Busy Being In Love", Note: I think these are listened to lyrics and I differ in a couple of points with them. I edited in a couple of places, but let a couple I weren't sure were /a style="color: #b85b5a;" href=" . #ixzz3Iufw1a00"Doug Stone – Too Busy Being In Love Lyrics | MetroLyrics/a (with corrections)/p  
p style="font-size: 1.05em; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"emstrongRobansuefarm/strong is the handle of one of Manny and /emGuiding Lightem's biggest fans following in her family's footsteps of /emGuiding Lightem fandom since 1939. This blog is an effort to make it easy to find /emGuiding Lightem and especially Manny online. Check back here for her blog, find fanfic previews and fake WSPR newscasts on her a style="color: #b85b5a;" href=" user/Robansuefarm"YouTube/a, find podcasts that look back to old shows and audios of her fanfics on a style="color: #b85b5a;" href=" robansuefarm/2011/02/27/a-typical-house"Blog Talk Radio/a, and finally follow her on a style="color: #b85b5a;" href=" /Robansuefarm"Twitter/a and a style="color: #b85b5a;" href=" GLManny"Facebook/a./em/p 


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